Independent National Election Commission (INEC) urges fired Resident Election Commissioner (REC) in Hudu Yunusa-Ari, Adamawa State to defend himself in court rather than through a press conference .
Chief Secretary of INEC Chairman Rotimi Oyekanmi issued a statement in Abuja on Monday, February 10, suggesting Yunusa-Ari to use legal procedures to address misconduct during the 2023 Adamawa Governor’s election allegations.
Yunusa-Ari faces six charges related to violations in the March 18, 2023 election. He was suspended by former President Muhammadu Buhari in April 2023 to announce Aisha Dahiru (commonly known as Binani) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), the champion of the election, and sorted out Results are still in progress. Inc made the announcement, summoning Yunusa-Ari to its headquarters and then suspending it.
At a recent press conference in Bauchi State, Yunusa-Ari claimed he was denied a fair hearing and insisted that Binani won the election. However, Oyekanmi dismissed his claim, reiterating that the proper place to resolve the matter was the court.
“There is nothing new to what he said. “Through proper judicial proceedings, from the trial court to the appeals court, the substantive issues of the 2023 Adamawa governoral election have been identified and ultimately resolved by the Supreme Court. ”
He stressed that Yunusa-Ari’s actions during the election were litigated in Yola’s High Court, which prevented INEC from commenting further. He added: “Now that he has returned to the country, the proper place to prove his innocence and action is to use himself for the proper legal process rather than for the press conference.”
Yunusa-Ari has previously claimed that he has tried to explain his behavior to INEC several times through letters. He claimed that officials were forced to declare Ahmadu Fintiri of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner and insisted that he deserved a fair hearing.
Earlier, the Federal High Court in Abuja dismissed a lawsuit filed by Yunusa-Ari in February 2024, demanding protection from arrest, detention or prosecution. Justice James Omotosho ruled that there is no legal basis to save him from prosecution.
In January 2025, Yunusa-Ari asked the Adamawa High Court to postpone the case indefinitely. Meanwhile, the Senate recently approved President Bola Tinubu’s rejection of the request of Yunusa-Ari and the states of Abia and Sokoto.
